Hydrochloric Acid

Definition - What does Hydrochloric Acid mean?

Hydrochloric Acid is a highly poisonous acid that is a mixture of hydrogen chloride in water. It is colorless, extremely corrosive and has the chemical formula HCL. It has a strong pungent smell and reacts with an organic base to form a hydrochloride salt. Hydrochloric acid is used during well workover and intervention process to stimulate the oil and gas wells especially in carbonate formations.

Petropedia explains Hydrochloric Acid

During recovery operations when oil and gas production goes down, hydrochloric acid plays an important role in recovering hydrocarbons from hydrocarbon formations and reservoirs. Any obstacles between the well and the reservoir formation decrease the production levels. Hydrochloric acid is to remove or dissolve any blocking sandstones which create any hindrances in the production stream in the oil well and formation. .

Hydrochloric acid is also used along with hydrofluoric acid to dissolve contaminants in the well so as to clear the way for oil and gas. This acid mixture is known as mud acid and can dissolve any siliceous content in the oil well.